If you are having difficulty find a berth for this winter's Fast Cruises have you ever considered chartering a yacht? Over the last two winters I have chartered on four occasions and in the winter it is not as expensive as you might think.There are many yacht charter companies on the Solent. I have always used Hamble Point Yacht Charters but I am sure other companies do similar deals. Between 31 October and 31 March their winter rates apply and they also allow three days for the price of two over the weekend. This means that you can pick the boat up at 1000 on Friday and return it by 1600 on Sunday or 1600 on Friday and return it by 1600 on Monday. You can read my blogs on chartering here, here and here.

Obviously, before you can charter you need some experience. Normally a Day Skipper practical certificate is required and at least two of the crew should have this. If you can show that you have a lot of practical experience they may not want to see a Day Skipper certificate.  If in doubt ask.

There are many different yachts available but if you can get enough crew to fill the yacht you have selected it will work out at about £100 per person for the yacht. There is then the cost of mooring, fuel used and food to add on to this. In November six of us chartered a Dufour 36. This had eight berths so there was room for two more, although it would have been very intimate! The cost of the weekend worked out at £130 each, including a large quantity of alcohol!

Why not try it. The winter is an ideal time as charter rates are much lower than during the summer and there are fewer boats to get in your way.